1972 United States Senate election in Alabama

1972 United States Senate election in Alabama
← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →
 
Nominee John Sparkman Winton Blount
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 654,491 347,523
Percentage 62.27% 33.06%
County results
Sparkman:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Blount:      50–60%
LeFlore:      40–50%      60–70%
U.S. senator before election

John Sparkman
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

John Sparkman
Democratic

Democratic primary results by county
  Sparkman
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  Allen
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
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The 1972 United States Senate election in Alabama was held on November 7, 1972.

Incumbent Senator John Sparkman was re-elected to a fifth full term in office over Postmaster General Winton Blount. Alabama was one of fifteen states alongside Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Dakota and West Virginia won by Republican President Richard Nixon in 1972 that elected Democrats to the United States Senate.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

1972 Democratic U.S. Senate primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Sparkman (Incumbent) 331,838 50.25
Democratic Melba Till Allen 194,690 29.48
Democratic Lambert C. Mims 87,461 13.25
Democratic Robert Edington 22,145 3.35
Democratic Charles Sullins 12,164 1.84
Democratic Jimmy Harper 7,523 1.14
Democratic Sam Chestnut Jr. 4,519 0.68
Total votes 660,340 100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

1972 Republican U.S. Senate primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Winton Blount 27,736 54.16
Republican James D. Martin 16,800 32.81
Republican Bert Nettles 5,765 11.26
Republican Doris Callahan 909 1.78
Total votes 51,210 100.00

Independents and third parties

Alabama Conservative

  • Herbert W. Stone

Alabama National Democratic

  • John L. LeFlore, founder of Alabama NAACP and civil rights activist

Prohibition

  • Jerome B. Couch, nominee for Governor in 1970

General election

Results

1972 United States Senate election in Alabama[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic John Sparkman (Incumbent) 654,491 62.27 Increase2.20
Republican Winton Blount 347,523 33.06 Decrease5.94
National Democratic Party of Alabama John L. LeFlore 31,421 2.99 N/A
Prohibition Jerome Couch 10,826 1.03 N/A
Conservative Herbert W. Stone 6,838 0.65 N/A
Total votes 1,051,099 100.00

Results by county

1972 United States Senate election in Alabama by county[3]
County John Jackson Sparkman
Democratic 		Winton M. Blount junior
Republican 		John L. LeFlore
National Democratic 		Jerome B. Couch
Prohibition 		Herbert W. Stone
Alabama Conservative 		Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # % # %
Autauga 4,949 64.70% 2,455 32.10% 48 0.63% 127 1.66% 70 0.92% 2,494 32.61% 7,649
Baldwin 10,477 55.62% 7,766 41.23% 248 1.32% 243 1.29% 103 0.55% 2,711 14.39% 18,837
Barbour 5,119 69.48% 1,974 26.79% 63 0.86% 163 2.21% 49 0.67% 3,145 42.68% 7,368
Bibb 2,987 69.72% 1,243 29.01% 23 0.54% 1 0.02% 30 0.70% 1,744 40.71% 4,284
Blount 5,336 60.40% 3,433 38.86% 14 0.16% 26 0.29% 26 0.29% 1,903 21.54% 8,835
Bullock 2,155 43.99% 876 17.88% 1,785 36.44% 60 1.22% 23 0.47% 370[a] 7.55% 4,899
Butler 4,320 65.11% 2,275 34.29% 22 0.33% 5 0.08% 13 0.20% 2,045 30.82% 6,635
Calhoun 17,338 63.07% 9,528 34.66% 359 1.31% 77 0.28% 187 0.68% 7,810 28.41% 27,489
Chambers 6,804 59.80% 4,310 37.88% 64 0.56% 139 1.22% 60 0.53% 2,494 21.92% 11,377
Cherokee 3,299 73.10% 1,133 25.11% 25 0.55% 39 0.86% 17 0.38% 2,166 47.99% 4,513
Chilton 5,396 57.71% 3,833 40.99% 62 0.66% 15 0.16% 44 0.47% 1,563 16.72% 9,350
Choctaw 3,642 69.13% 1,362 25.85% 247 4.69% 3 0.06% 14 0.27% 2,280 43.28% 5,268
Clarke 5,237 67.35% 2,282 29.35% 76 0.98% 139 1.79% 42 0.54% 2,955 38.00% 7,776
Clay 2,752 59.02% 1,887 40.47% 10 0.21% 5 0.11% 9 0.19% 865 18.55% 4,663
Cleburne 2,356 57.73% 1,709 41.88% 7 0.17% 4 0.10% 5 0.12% 647 15.85% 4,081
Coffee 8,065 69.18% 3,457 29.65% 42 0.36% 70 0.60% 24 0.21% 4,608 39.53% 11,658
Colbert 12,732 71.32% 4,221 23.64% 536 3.00% 178 1.00% 185 1.04% 8,511 47.68% 17,852
Conecuh 3,567 73.09% 1,238 25.37% 38 0.78% 13 0.27% 24 0.49% 2,329 47.73% 4,880
Coosa 2,429 67.27% 1,171 32.43% 6 0.17% 5 0.14% 0 0.00% 1,258 34.84% 3,611
Covington 7,302 63.73% 4,103 35.81% 25 0.22% 6 0.05% 22 0.19% 3,199 27.92% 11,458
Crenshaw 3,305 70.74% 1,189 25.45% 79 1.69% 85 1.82% 14 0.30% 2,116 45.29% 4,672
Cullman 12,009 61.02% 7,601 38.62% 17 0.09% 28 0.14% 27 0.14% 4,408 22.40% 19,682
Dale 6,500 62.50% 3,739 35.95% 33 0.32% 95 0.91% 33 0.32% 2,761 26.55% 10,400
Dallas 9,295 63.99% 4,858 33.44% 293 2.02% 6 0.04% 74 0.51% 4,437 30.55% 14,526
DeKalb 7,309 52.23% 6,632 47.39% 24 0.17% 15 0.11% 14 0.10% 677 4.84% 13,994
Elmore 6,873 62.26% 3,859 34.95% 41 0.37% 194 1.76% 73 0.66% 3,014 27.30% 11,040
Escambia 7,058 70.39% 2,842 28.34% 68 0.68% 14 0.14% 45 0.45% 4,216 42.05% 10,027
Etowah 19,265 65.33% 9,648 32.72% 313 1.06% 91 0.31% 170 0.58% 9,617 32.61% 29,487
Fayette 3,601 67.16% 1,735 32.36% 6 0.11% 9 0.17% 11 0.21% 1,866 34.80% 5,362
Franklin 4,620 55.04% 3,684 43.89% 48 0.57% 25 0.30% 17 0.20% 936 11.15% 8,394
Geneva 5,037 67.84% 2,328 31.35% 35 0.47% 7 0.09% 18 0.24% 2,709 36.48% 7,425
Greene 1,070 22.18% 643 13.33% 3,054 63.31% 2 0.04% 55 1.14% -1,984[a] -41.13% 4,824
Hale 3,102 57.68% 1,038 19.30% 1,012 18.82% 123 2.29% 103 1.92% 2,064 38.38% 5,378
Henry 2,857 64.13% 1,580 35.47% 8 0.18% 5 0.11% 5 0.11% 1,277 28.66% 4,455
Houston 7,349 46.09% 8,118 50.92% 269 1.69% 134 0.84% 74 0.46% -769 -4.82% 15,944
Jackson 7,794 73.57% 2,574 24.30% 61 0.58% 94 0.89% 71 0.67% 5,220 49.27% 10,594
Jefferson 124,540 61.44% 68,998 34.04% 4,025 1.99% 3,189 1.57% 1,953 0.96% 55,542 27.40% 202,705
Lamar 3,463 77.77% 972 21.83% 10 0.22% 4 0.09% 4 0.09% 2,491 55.94% 4,453
Lauderdale 15,755 71.16% 5,577 25.19% 290 1.31% 329 1.49% 190 0.86% 10,178 45.97% 22,141
Lawrence 4,559 73.17% 1,645 26.40% 16 0.26% 11 0.18% 0 0.00% 2,914 46.77% 6,231
Lee 9,090 57.92% 6,147 39.17% 166 1.06% 217 1.38% 73 0.47% 2,943 18.75% 15,693
Limestone 6,528 70.83% 2,452 26.60% 47 0.51% 140 1.52% 50 0.54% 4,076 44.22% 9,217
Lowndes 2,305 45.84% 881 17.52% 1,692 33.65% 101 2.01% 49 0.97% 613[a] 12.19% 5,028
Macon 5,319 78.60% 978 14.45% 185 2.73% 213 3.15% 72 1.06% 4,341 64.15% 6,767
Madison 36,660 66.79% 16,807 30.62% 680 1.24% 436 0.79% 303 0.55% 19,853 36.17% 54,886
Marengo 5,569 66.19% 1,848 21.96% 868 10.32% 54 0.64% 75 0.89% 3,721 44.22% 8,414
Marion 4,551 63.29% 2,624 36.49% 6 0.08% 6 0.08% 4 0.06% 1,927 26.80% 7,191
Marshall 10,829 63.52% 5,840 34.26% 79 0.46% 211 1.24% 89 0.52% 4,989 29.26% 17,048
Mobile 52,697 58.45% 31,815 35.29% 4,002 4.44% 920 1.02% 721 0.80% 20,882 23.16% 90,155
Monroe 5,137 67.88% 2,147 28.37% 195 2.58% 16 0.21% 73 0.96% 2,990 39.51% 7,568
Montgomery 29,587 58.66% 18,718 37.11% 990 1.96% 821 1.63% 321 0.64% 10,869 21.55% 50,437
Morgan 17,385 67.80% 7,575 29.54% 183 0.71% 378 1.47% 119 0.46% 9,810 38.26% 25,640
Perry 2,769 49.19% 1,117 19.84% 1,713 30.43% 5 0.09% 25 0.44% 1,056[a] 18.76% 5,629
Pickens 3,452 56.63% 1,586 26.02% 1,025 16.81% 6 0.10% 27 0.44% 1,866 30.61% 6,096
Pike 4,883 62.01% 2,777 35.27% 61 0.77% 115 1.46% 38 0.48% 2,106 26.75% 7,874
Randolph 3,688 59.84% 2,317 37.60% 33 0.54% 80 1.30% 45 0.73% 1,371 22.25% 6,163
Russell 5,500 56.85% 3,513 36.31% 181 1.87% 326 3.37% 154 1.59% 1,987 20.54% 9,674
Shelby 7,312 62.24% 4,144 35.27% 53 0.45% 157 1.34% 83 0.71% 3,168 26.96% 11,749
St. Clair 5,255 58.08% 3,474 38.40% 71 0.78% 113 1.25% 135 1.49% 1,781 19.68% 9,048
Sumter 2,614 46.45% 1,072 19.05% 1,901 33.78% 9 0.16% 32 0.57% 713[a] 12.67% 5,628
Talladega 12,398 70.83% 4,942 28.23% 102 0.58% 18 0.10% 45 0.26% 7,456 42.59% 17,505
Tallapoosa 7,465 65.42% 3,654 32.02% 59 0.52% 171 1.50% 62 0.54% 3,811 33.40% 11,411
Tuscaloosa 20,413 65.41% 9,104 29.17% 995 3.19% 493 1.58% 204 0.65% 11,309 36.24% 31,209
Walker 13,171 66.76% 6,447 32.68% 22 0.11% 17 0.09% 72 0.36% 6,724 34.08% 19,729
Washington 3,138 68.62% 1,391 30.42% 29 0.63% 8 0.17% 7 0.15% 1,747 38.20% 4,573
Wilcox 2,270 36.67% 1,174 18.96% 2,679 43.27% 26 0.42% 42 0.68% -409[a] -6.61% 6,191
Winston 2,883 45.34% 3,463 54.46% 2 0.03% 7 0.11% 4 0.06% -580 -9.12% 6,359
Total 654,491 62.27% 347,523 33.06% 31,421 2.99% 10,826 1.03% 6,838 0.65% 306,968 29.20% 1,051,099

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f In this county where Blount ran third behind Sparkman and LeFlore, margin given is Sparkman vote minus LeFlore vote and percentage margin Sparkman percentage minus LeFlore percentage.

References

  1. ^ "AL US Senate - D Primary". OurCampaigns. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  2. ^ "AL US Senate - R Primary". OurCampaigns. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "AL US Senate Race — November 07, 1972". OurCampaigns. Retrieved August 18, 2019.